A quarter century ago a passion for craft brewing ignited across the country. Today, the founding breweries of 1988 have united to commemorate that seminal year with a special selection of beers. Every bottle is a portal to the renaissance of craft brewing. Each steeped in heritage and expert craftmanship. Enjoy this tribute to the class of '88.

From the brewers of the celebrated 'Black Butte Porter' and 'Edmund Fitzgerald Porter' comes this limited-run collaboration. Brewed with roasted and smoked malt for a rich chocolate aroma and subtle smoky flavor.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Surly Darkness chalice glass. Label says best by 04/30/14.

Appearance: Pours a dark blackish brown with hints of amber. Moderate amount of bubbles and about two fingers of beige head that slowly fade into a thin creamy layer. Leaves a decent amount of lacing.

Smell: A very roasty and smokey dark malt driven aroma. Dark roasted malts with a big scent of smoke. Hints of burnt caramel, biscuit, grains, burnt toast, dark chocolate, coffee, toffee, nuts, and yeast. Sweet scent of molasses and burnt sugars. Also a little hint of anise spice. Subtle earthy hops in the background with hints of grass. Very out front with the smoked malt. A pretty good smokey aroma.

Taste: Like the smell previews, a very smoke forward big dark porter taste with lots of burnt and roasty notes. Dark roasted malts with a big taste of smoke and notes of biscuit, grains, burnt caramel, toffee, dark chocolate, coffee, nut, and yeast. Sweet taste of molasses and other burnt sugars. A little taste of licorice anise spice. Earthy hops come in towards the finish with some notes of grass. A very smoke driven taste, but it isn't overwhelming. Taste is pretty good.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with a moderate amount of carbonation. Rich, creamy, and fairly slick. Finishes dry. Alcohol heat is masked very well.

Overall: A very good smoked up imperial version of a porter. Both of the breweries involved make their own world class porters and as expected this turned out good. (1,501 characters)

Pours a very dark amber color with a creamy lite tan head. Foam bergs decorate my Firestone Walker snifter glass and leave me with a milk mustache, wow. After several minutes just a soapy covering is all that remains from the head experience, yessaahh ;)

The aroma for me is the low point. I'm not getting a big nose of smoke like some reviewers have pointed out which is a shame. Certainly not Rauchbier status but pleasent never the less. Peat, roasted malt and vanilla dominate.

The flavor is dark chocolate, dried fruit and a boat load of roasted malt. The smokiness comes in late and is surprisingly light which again, is dissapointing. The beer finishes with a sweet vanila aftertaste.

The mouthfeel rocks and is the highlight for me at 9.1%, really?? Pretty damn smooth for the octane. Has a slight bitter start draped over a medium body and finishes moderately warm and dry as I tip the bottle upside down.

Overall pretty good but didn't blow my socks off. I anticipated much more of a smokey flavor and for this, I was a bit dissapointed. The beer did make up for it in mouthfeel which put a smile on my face. (1,223 characters)

It's quite dark brown, though with a surprisingly opaque quality in the edges. Considering that both of these brewers know porters so well, and can brew huge beers, this looks lighter than I'd expect given the status. A tan head is bubbly, about one finger high, with good retention and lacing.Smoke! This beer's got it, and in such a way that it's strong enough wiothout subverting the maltier base, the roast, or the light sweetness. It's almost meaty but not too much, with a woody sort of campfire essence to it. There's a nice char that doesn't go astringent, which I've found key to this sort of beer.It's got the body of a porter, about medium, but it's just shy of the depth and richness I'd expect from a porter brewed by either of these two. (753 characters)